Pancoast Tumor

1. Lung Cancer Slideshow Pictures
2. Know Your Lung Cancer Facts?
3. Quiz: 10 Lung Cancer Facts

• Pancoast Tumor Facts
• What Is a Pancoast Tumor?
• What Are the Causes of Pancoast Tumors?
• What Are Pancoast Tumor Symptoms and Signs?
• What Specialists Treat Pancoast Tumors?
• What Tests Do Physicians Use to Make a Diagnosis of Pancoast Tumors?
• What Is the Treatment for Pancoast Tumors?
• Is It Possible to Prevent Pancoast Tumors?
• What Is the Prognosis for Pancoast Tumors?
• Pancoast Tumor Support Groups and Counseling
• Where Can People Get More Information on Pancoast Tumors?
• Pancoast Tumor Pictures

• A Pancoast tumor is a lung cancer located at the very top (apex) of the lung.
• The Pancoast tumor is defined by its location. Pancoast tumors are sometimes referred to as superior sulcus tumors.
• Most Pancoast tumors are non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC); a few are small cell lung cancers (SCLC).
• Pancoast tumors spread to the tissues around them, including the neck and chest nerves, ribs, and vertebrae.
• Symptoms of this disease may be referred to as Pancoast syndrome and include pain in the shoulder, inner side of the arm, and hand.
• Pancoast tumors rarely produce symptoms related to the lungs themselves, such as chest pain or cough.
• Treatment for Pancoast tumors involves a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Pancoast tumors are lung cancers that form at the extreme apex (very top; plural=apices) of either the right or left lung in the superior sulcus (a shallow furrow on the surface of the lung). Because of their location in the top of the lung, they invade adjoining tissue and produce characteristic symptoms. They form an abnormal patch of tissue over the lung apex and principally involve the chest wall structures rather than the underlying lung tissue. They invade the following structures:

• Lymphatics (small, thin vessels that carry lymph fluid through the body)
• Lower roots of the brachial plexus (a complex network of nerves that is formed chiefly by the lower four cervical [neck] nerves and the first thoracic [chest] nerve)
• Intercostal nerves (nerves that lie between a pair of adjacent ribs)
• Stellate ganglion (a mass of nerve tissue containing nerve cells that form an enlargement on a nerve or on two or more nerves at their point of junction or separation)
• Sympathetic chain (either of the pair of ganglionated lengthwise cords of the sympathetic nervous system that are situated on each side of the spinal column)
• Adjacent ribs
• Vertebrae

Carcinomas (cancerous tumors) in the superior pulmonary sulcus produce the Pancoast syndrome, which is characterized by pain in the shoulder and along the inner side of the arm and hand. Pancoast tumors tend to spread to the tissue surrounding them in the early stage of the disease. As long as the cancer has not metastasized (spread) and involved the regional lymph nodes (small, bean-shaped structures found throughout the body), these tumors can be successfully treated.

It is important to note that a Pancoast tumor is defined by its location in the top portion of the lung. The term does not refer to a specific subtype of lung cancer such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC) or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Most Pancoast tumors are NSCLC of the squamous cell carcinoma type, although adenocarcinomas and large cell carcinomas can also form in the lung apex and be referred to as Pancoast tumors. A small percentage (3%-5%) of Pancoast tumors are SCLC.

Must Read Articles Related to Pancoast Tumor

Bronchoscopy Bronchoscopy is performed to view the inside of a person's airway and lungs. There are two types of bronchoscopy, 1) rigid bronchoscopy and 2) flexible bronchos...learn more >>

Chemotherapy Chemotherapy or "chemo" is a treatment for cancer. Depending on the type of cancer an individual has, it can cure cancer, control cancer. or ease cancer symptom...learn more >>

Chest X-Ray Chest X-ray is a common procedure ordered to...learn more >>

See the Entire Pancoast Tumor Topic Guide »